Pages

Thursday, January 11, 2018

24 Teves - The Alter Rebbe

The founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi - "the Alter Rebbe" [1745-1812], passed away on the eve of the 24th of Tevet, at approximately 10:30 pm, shortly after reciting the Havdalah prayer marking the end of the Shabbat. The Rebbe was in the village of Peyena, fleeing Napoleon's armies, which had swept through the Rebbe's hometown of Liadi three months earlier in their advance towards Moscow. He was in his 68th year at the time of his passing, and was succeeded by his son, Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch.

The Alter Rebbe would often repeat in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that wealth can be Gan Eden (paradise) or it can be Gehenom (purgatory). The Alter Rebbe explained this saying as follows. If one uses his wealth for charitable purposes, then it is paradise. If one uses it for self-indulgence or holds it treasured away in order not to give charity, then it is purgatory.

The Mitteler Rebbe, when he was just 7 years old, asked his father "Why are wealthy people so haughty? Even those who are not born into wealth, yet when they become wealthy they change nature and become conceited."

The Alter Rebbe responded "God set up a system in which wealth inherently causes conceit. The chamber of wealth, in heaven, is found between Gan Eden and Gehenom. There are two doors to this chamber. One opens to Gan Eden and the other opens to Gehenom. Ze le'umas ze asa Elokim - God made one opposite the other.

11 comments:

A Message from Eliyahu HaNavi to an IDF SoldierYeranen Yaakov has a link to an interesting story on sod1820.co.il

Here is a very quick translation:

We heard in a lecture on Chanukah 5778 by Rabbi Dov Kook of Tiberius, who said that by Purim the war of Gog and Magog will breakout and that this Purim 5778 will be the last Purim before the revelation of Mashiach.

This is the english translation, thank you to Yehudi Yerushalmi blog, whose link appears in the first comment above.

A Message from Eliyahu HaNavi to an IDF SoldierYeranen Yaakov has a link to an interesting story on sod1820.co.il

Here is a very quick translation:

We heard in a lecture on Chanukah 5778 by Rabbi Dov Kook of Tiberius, who said that by Purim the war of Gog and Magog will breakout and that this Purim 5778 will be the last Purim before the revelation of Mashiach.

A few days ago, after services, a young student approached his Rabbi in a certain village in Israel and asked if he could tell him about a frightening incident. A true story that happened to a young man a few days before that.

A young soldier got on a bus and sat at the back seat. An old man came to sit next to him. The old man, without knowing him started to speak to him and said: "You should know that the war of Gog and Magog will breakout in Shvat"

The shocked young man asked him "How do you know this", the old man said "It is hard to prove what I know, but in order for you to understand that it is true, you can ask me any question you have about any person you know and I will tell you everything about him".

The young man thought and said to himself I'll ask him about my cousin who is very sick and we'll see what he'll tell me. And he told the old man the name of his cousin. The old man told him exactly about the difficult situation of his cousin, that she needs divine mercy and everything about her without knowing her.

The old man continued and said that you should know that Hashem hates licentiousness, and that what is going on in the army with male and female soldiers is no secret. That they are committing sins of sexual immorality, and that they are deliberately enlisting females into the army in order to cause the young men to sin and any jobs that female soldiers do in the army can be done by young men.

And also that it is no secret that one of the purposes of the army is to secularize young Israeli men. It will not continue, Hashem hates licentiousness.

He left the young man without another word and got off the bus. The curious young man, who wanted to know where the old man lived, got off the bus after him, and the old man disappeared. They say he merited a revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi of blessed memory.

It is brought in the book "Davar B'ito" (Everything in it's time) about the month of Shvat, that on the 15th of Shvat there will be a full lunar eclipse. It is written in the book "Yalkut Moshe" that a lunar eclipse in the month of Shvat [is a sign of] stringent judgment on most of the world, and that day will be very dark.

We have to wake up, Hashem is dealing with us with great kindness and is sending us faithful messengers that we may merit to wake up and prepare ourselves for the Geulah.

We have a few days left to examine ourselves and to quickly strengthen ourselves and to change our behavior. To swap our tight clothing for modest clothing, for longer and wider skirts, long sleeves, wider shirts that are not so tight.

Every married woman should cover her hair with a modest hair covering, not a foreign wig (foreign wig = foreign woman).

To get rid of our impure devices with forbidden images!!! And are also a Bitul Torah!!! They are unnecessary in a Jewish house .

To maintain our pure speech, to sit and learn Torah, to learn Halachot in order to be a Kosher person.

And to increase acts of kindness, and to judge everyone favorably. We must be Shomer Shabbat KeHilchatah.

May we all merit the revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi who comes to announce the arrival of Mashiach Tzidkeinu.And may we all merit to be united and receive the Mashiach with great mercy and kindness.

When the Mashiach comes don't say we didn't know and don't say nobody told you. You have enough time to do Teshuvah before Yom Hadin HaNorah.

If I may.....According to what's written, the war will start by Purim, not Moshiach's appearance. And, is there any proof of this statement. It would just mean so much more to me and to those naysayers around me.

Also, is there any way to verify the other story with the IDF soldier? Does it have any connection with the words of Rav Kook?

Art: Lisa Viger ﻿ from the writings of Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn of Lubavitch [the Rebbe Rashab] On account of our many transgres...

Follow by Email

I spend a huge amount of time maintaining this site.... and generally speaking it has no income whatsoever..... if you would like to help out ...... donate if you wish, but don't feel like you have to :) But right now it is sorely needed so Thank you.

.

This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."